What could be a bigger honor at age 31 than being the first student to get an associate degree from the Isaacson School for New Media at CMC? Alumnus Patrick Badalian is the student who achieved this honor by graduating in December 2014.

As an older student going back to school, Badalian was able to complete his degree with the help of three scholarships. Having never previously attained a college degree, Badalian said, “Getting my degree was a very proud moment for me. Before the Isaacson School started, I was at a crossroad in my life and not sure where I wanted to go. The Isaacson School for New Media provided me with the inspiration I needed to pursue avenues I had always been interested in, which included audio mixing, graphics, video and editing.”

While at the Isaacson School, Badalian had the opportunity to put the skills he learned to use through an internship at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village. His internship included setting up the sound and video recording of lectures and creating graphics for presentations. The internship turned into a summer job, and he will return there to work this summer.

Since graduation, Badalian has worked at the X Games in Aspen this past January. His official title was screen utility and AV help. He said he would not have been hired for this position had it not been for the skills he learned from the Isaacson School, and that working the X Games was hard, fun and a great learning experience.

“I learned that the biggest part of the job was showing up and acting in a professional manner,” he said. “Because of the training I received at school, I was more than prepared for this.”

Badalian’s future plans include walking with his fellow new media peers at graduation this May to receive his actual physical degree. He declined to get it in December as he wanted to be surrounded by his friends and classmates who have also gone through this experience. He wants to share in this once-in-a-lifetime event of being the first graduates from a brand new, successful degree program.